Cycle of Life [Explicit Lyrics]

Track Listings

1. Maddhouse Trilogy

2. Flavor Trip

3. Bleed the Block

4. Down South

5. Fatbacks Paperstacks

6. Real Shit

7. Living Too Fast

8. Money & Fame

9. Bow Down

10. Gotta Shine

11. You Betta Duck - Steady B

12. Gimme Dat

13. Trick on the Side

14. Swisher Lane

15. Choppers, Swangers, Disc, Vouges

16. You I Choose to Follow

Cycle of Life,Maddhouse,Zbc Records,Gangsta Rap,Hardcore Rap,Pop,Rap & Hip-Hop

Average customer rating:

Fine Contribution
lovely performance
Wonderful performances of stirring music

English Song Series 3
Vaughan Williams , Rolfe , Johnson , and Duke Quartet
Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel
Roger Quilter: O Mistress Mine; To Daisies; Julia's Hair; Go, Lovely Rose
Duparc: Chansons
Vaughan Williams: Willow Wood
English Song Series 1

ASIN: B00007FKQL
Release Date: 2003-02-18

Tracks:

It Was A Lover And His Lass
The Lawyer
The Splendour Falls
The Water Mill
Tired
Silent Noon
Searching For Lambs
Nocturne
Joy, Shipmate, Joy!
Lord, Come Away
Come Love, Come Lord
Five Mystical Songs: I. Easter
Five Mystical Songs: II. I Got Me Flowers
Five Mystical Songs: III. Love Bade Me Welcome
Five Mystical Songs: IV. The Call
Five Mystical Songs: V. Antiphon
On Wenlock Edge: I. On Wenlock Edge
On Wenlock Edge: II. From Far, From Eve And Morning
On Wenlock Edge: III. Is My Team Ploughing?
On Wenlock Edge: IV. Oh, When I Was In Love With You
On Wenlock Edge: V. Bredon Hall
On Wenlock Edge: VI. Clun
Dirge For Fidele

Customer Reviews:

Fine Contribution.......2006-09-03

A fine compilation of Vaughn Williams' songs. Sung very well indeed by Johnson and Keenlyside with excellent accompaniment. This CD really shows the full range of Vaughn Williams vocal writing. This whole series is an admirable undertaking.

lovely performance.......2006-03-24

This is a very nice compilation of Vaughan Williams' vocal music, some of which is not easy to find on CD. The performers do an excellent job. Nice voices, and the music is sensitively sung. A really good value.

Wonderful performances of stirring music.......2003-04-27

This CD contains some of Vaughan Williams' best vocal music. The singers are superb and the accompanist is sensitive.

I love the whole CD, but adore
Searching For Lambs, which is a touching love song, set for violin and tenor duet
Silent Noon
It Was A Lover and His Lass
Antiphon, the last song in the set of Five Mystical Songs. It is a great song of faith, set by an infamous agnostic. The Church would be the poorer without Vaughan Williams wonderful hymns and arrangements of hymns. [I also recommend Vaughan Williams' Hymnal and Pilgrm's Progress.].

I bought this set to hear On Wenlock Edge and am not disappointed. It is a great song cycle.

By the way, this bargain-priced CD includes all the song texts.

Tracks:

What Is Life To Me Without Thee?
Che Puro Ciel
Art Thou Troubled?
Ombra Mai Fu
An Die Musik
Der Musensohn
Gretchen Am Spinnrade
Die Junge Nonne
Woe Unto Them
O Rest In The Lord
Er, Der Herrlichste Von Allen
Geistliches Wiegenlied
Sapphische Ode
Botschaft
Like As The Love-Torn Turtle
A Soft Day
Go Not Happy Day
Come You Not From Newcastle
The Keel Row
Ma Bonny Lad
Kitty My Love
Blow The Wind Southernly

Tracks:

Ye Banks And Braes
I Have A Bonnet Trimmed With Blue
Down By The Salley Gardens
The Stuttering Lovers
Drink To Me Only
Hark! The Echoing Air
Father Of Heaven
O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion
He Was Despised
Have Mercy, Lord On Me
Agnus Dei
All Is Fulfilled
Du Bist Die Ruh' - Bruno Walter
Romance - Bruno Walter
Ich Bin Der Welt Abhanden Gekommen
Ich Atmet' Einen Linden Duft
Um Mitternacht

Customer Reviews:

Awesome voice, exquisite performances.......2006-08-27

These two CDs contain a great selection of classical, operatic and folk songs in English, German and Italian by the famous contralto (1912 - 1953). Highlights on the first CD include What Is Life from Orfeo et Euridice, Art Thou Troubled from Rodelina, Woe Unto Them and O Rest In The Lord from Elijah and the traditional song Blow The Wind Southerly.

My personal favorites appear on the second CD. The first is the divine Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, the Ben Jonson poem, which is a most mystical and transcending listening experience. The buoyant Stuttering Lovers is most catchy and appealing. Both of the aforementioned are sung to the piano accompaniment of pianist Phyllis Spurr.

Backed by the London Philharmonic, Ferrier renders splendid versions of Father Of Heaven from Judas Maccabaeus and O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion from The Messiah. These are truly awesome, the first one slow and somber, the second joyous and triumphant. Other highlights on this second CD include He Was Despised from The Messiah and All Is Fulfilled from St John Passion by Bach.

The informative CD booklet contains black and white photographs, a short biography in English, French and German, plus complete information on the recording of the tracks: composers, dates, venues, conductors and musicians. Kathleen Ferrier was a unique vocalist who made a magnficent contribution to classical and folk music.

It may take you a little time to love her voice.......2004-08-19

Kathleen Ferrier has one of the most instantly recognizable voices in music. And it's a voice that might take you time to love. As an eight year old I heard her version of Blow the Wind Southerly many times on British radio and intensely disliked it. I wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman, adult or child, such is the nature of her contralto. But over the years, especially hearing Ferrier sing Handel and Mahler, I've come to treasure her recordings alongside Callas, Sutherland, Flagstad and Baker. This two disc set contains performances which are about 45-55 years old. Many favourites are here especially the folk songs and selections from Bach, Handel and Mahler. The sound quality is excellent. The sleeve notes mention that Ferrier's vocal delivery may sound old fashioned to our ears. But her remarkable voice which stirs one's deepest emotions, transcends any thought of quaintness or mannerism. She is, quite simply, the greatest contralto ever. This selection will have you seeking out her other recordings on Amazon.com. And it might also lead you to Virginia Rodrigues, a Brazilian contralto with a superb voice who, like Ferrier, makes everything she sings, her own.

Average customer rating:

Vaughan Williams: Songs of Travel

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Vaughan Williams: Willow Wood
English Song Series 3
Gerald Finzi: I Said to Love; Let Us Garlands Bring; Before and After Summer
Love Blows as the Wind Blows: English and American Songs / Jonathan Lemalu
Vaughan Williams - Along the Field on Wenlock Edge · Merciless Beauty · Ten Blake Songs, and others / Ainsley · The Nash Ensemble

ASIN: B000B6N6A4
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Tracks:

The Vagabond
Let Beauty Awake
The Roadside Fire
Youth And Love
In Dreams
I Infinite Shining Heavens
Whither Must I Wander?
Bright Is The Ring Of Words
I Have Trod The Upward And The Downward Slope
Love-Sight
Silent Noon
Love's Minstrels
Heart's Haven
Death In Love
Love's Last Gift
Linden Lea
Motion And Stillness
Four Nights
The New Ghost
The Water Mill

Average customer rating:

A fine collection, well recorded, & a bargain, to boot!
Perfect and otherworldly

Vaughan Williams: Poisoned Kiss

Manufacturer: Chandos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Jazz | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Orchestral Pop | Easy Listening | Pop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Rachmaninov: Complete Operas (Aleko, The Miserly Knight, Francesca di Rimini)
Sibelius: Complete String Quartets
Vaughan Williams: The Shepherds of the Delectable Mountains
Vaughan Williams: Complete Concertos
Vaughan Williams: Over hill, over dale

ASIN: B00000IYN1
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Tracks:

Overture: The Poisoned Kiss
Two Hymn - Tune Preludes: Eventide
Two Hymn-Tune Preludes: Dominus Regeit me
The Running Set
Flos campi: I Lento (senza misura)
Flos campi: II Andante con moto
Flos campi: III Lento (senza misura) - Allegro moderato - Allargando
Flos campi: IV Moderato alla marcia
Flos campi: V Andante quasi lento
Flos campi: VI Moderato tranqillo
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 1: Prelude
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 1: Carol
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 1: Christmas Dance
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 2: Ballad
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 2: Moto perpetuo
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 3: Musette
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 3: Polka mncholique
Suite For Viola And Orchestra: Group 3: Galop
Sea Songs

Tracks:

Overture: The Wasps
The House Of Life: 1 Love-Sight
The House Of Life: 2 Silent Noon
The House Of Life: 3 Heart's Heaven
Six Studies In English Folksong: 1 Adagio
Six Studies In English Folksong: 2 Andante sostenuto
Six Studies In English Folksong: 3 Larghetto
Six Studies In English Folksong: 4 Lento
Six Studies In English Folksong: 5 Andante tranquillo
Six Studies In English Folksong: 6 Allegro vivace
Romance
Linden Lea
Fantasia On Greensleeves
Serenade To Music

Customer Reviews:

A fine collection, well recorded, & a bargain, to boot!.......2005-10-08

This collection of pieces is a real treat for RVW fans. The recordings of Flos campi (surely one of RVW's most unusual and mystical works, somehow managing to capture the elusive emotional/spiritual environment of the Song of Solomon) and the Suite for Viola and Orchestra (rarely recorded, but a delectable mixing of folk-song, Bach, Bartok-like passages, and rich, resonant melodies redolent of autumn) would be enough in themselves. Couple them with the Six Studies in English Folksong for clarinet & piano (a rare piece of Vaughn Williams chamber music) and the ravishing instrumental version of Serenade to Music, and you have a truly admirable set. This is an assemblage of a number of earlier recordings: in this case, I think, the cream has been skimmed and put into one convenient two-disc collection. The recorded sound is good throughout, and the notes well-written and interesting - an excellent Chandos release.

Perfect and otherworldly.......2003-10-06

I am a rock musician but I must say that there is little other music on this green earth that is as gorgeous as that of Vaughan Williams. Some folk and country airs can touch the melancholy that VW can, some of Bach's or Ravel's pieces maybe. But when I hear music like Flos Campi 2nd and 6th movements, or the beautiful short pieces that comprise Six Studies in English Folk Song ... well, they leave me breathless. Parts of Flos Campi sounds like VW has distilled all the tinsel and magic, childlike wonder and true peace of something as hard to define as Christmas and made it into music. Serenade to Music in it's pure orchestral form still remains a glorius composition, even without the vocalists. My, when it hits that early theme in the latter part with full force and orchestra ... And the lovely Linden Lea and that wonderful Suite ... Almost too much. I sometimes program this and some of his major works, such as Tallis, Dives and Lazarus and The Lark Ascending (when I have some time to spare!): it's a big 'wow' factor. VW's music is unashamedly beautiful, capturing the sweetest folk elements and conjuring up the spirit of the wildest and most remote parts of Britain (in my head at least). This music is something else and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Average customer rating:

Great vocal virtuosity
Confuzzled
An American Composer of Art Song
more German than Rorem
delightful art songs

Ned Rorem: Selected Songs
Ned Rorem , and Carole Farley
Manufacturer: Naxos American
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music

4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Susan Graham - Songs of Ned Rorem
Rorem: The End of Summer, Book of Hours, Bright Music
Rorem: Three Symphonies
Rorem: Flute Concerto; Violin Concerto
The Complete Songs of Charles Ives, Vol. 1

ASIN: B00005QISU
Release Date: 2001-11-20

Tracks:

The Waking
Root Cellar
My Papa's Waltz
I Strolled Across An Open Field
Memory
Orchids
The Serpent
Night Crow
Snake
Lilltel Elegy
The Nightingale
Nantucket
Lullaby Of The Woman Of The Mountain
Love In A Life
What If Some Little Pain...
Visits To St. Elizabeth's
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Spring
See How They Love Me
Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal
I Am Rose
Ask Me No More
Far-Far-Away
Early In The Morning
Alleluia
Such Beauty As Hurts To Behold
Sally's Smile
Youth, Day, Old Age, And Night
O You Whom I Often And Silently Come
Full Of Life Now
As Adam Early In The Morning
Are You The New Person?

Customer Reviews:

Great vocal virtuosity.......2005-04-07

This is a great recording, by two great artists. Carole Farley is the ideal singer for Ned Rorem's songs. She spell out every
word and every nuance, giving each song and every poem their full character. The songs are a revelation. I recommend this recording without hesitation.
Christoph (Berlin, Germany)

Confuzzled.......2004-01-03

While these song are GREAT...I cannot get over Carole Farley; her voice is so affected (kind of like a sprechstimme; overly dramatic...). I love the fact that Rorem himself is playing the piano, and as a singer, the catalogue of songs is good to have...but cant say I could ever manage getting over Farley's affectation. There are far superior recordings out there.

An American Composer of Art Song.......2003-04-02

American popular song, whether standards, show tunes,jazz, blues, or rock, is one of our country's most visible artistic achievements. American classical (or Art) songs are much less known. Ned Rorem (b. 1923) is probably the greatest American composer in this unfamiliar medium. Rorem is sometimes dubbed the "American Schubert."

This disc features 32 of Ned Rorem's songs for voice and piano. Soprano Carole Farley is the accomplished singer, and Ned Rorem himself plays the piano. The disc is special because it features settings of the works of American poets. The CD begins with 9 settings of poems by the mid-twentieth century poet, Theodore Roethke, and concludes with settings of 5 poems by Walt Whitman. The disc also includes settings of poems by William Carlos Williams, Gertrude Stein, and Paul Goodman, among others. Thus the disc combines in a special way American creative effort in poetry and in music.

Rorem's songs are declamatory in style. Typically, the voice line delivers the text of the poetry in a sort of chant. The relationship between the voice line and the piano is far from Schubertian. Generally, the piano takes a separate line and accentuates the voice by means of large chords or by runs or by other comments and punctuation on the voice. The texts are well set and the music is effective. There are some unusual harmonies with jazz and blues influences. Rorem's piano accompanyment on this disc gives the recording a sense of authenticity -- we get a good idea of how the composer wants his songs to be conveyed.

The disc includes excellent program notes and texts of all the songs. Naxos has received deservedly high praise for its "American Classics" series which makes much music written by Americans available on CD at a low price. This disc includes some lovely, little-known songs. It is an excellent introduction to the American art song and to the music of Ned Rorem.

more German than Rorem.......2002-07-20

I've been a Rorem fan since hearing a highschool friend perform some of his work in her college recital. His startling, atonal songs were an instant revelation. For years there were few reliable CDs of his vocal work. A scandal considering his reputation rests more on his art songs and chamber music than on his orchestral pieces. This Naxos entry of a wide overview of his best songs is thus quite welcome, due largely to its availability, wide distribution and professional packaging (he's had some shoddy issues before with incorrect liner notes, etc.; the challenge of the low budget).

I can't call myself an unalloyed fan of soprano Carole Farley however. Her delivery here recalls the speak-singing style of German 12-tone composers (a specialty of hers), and can sound melodramatic, especially when she rushes the more delicate passages.

I prefer Rorem's softer, more melodious French side, the one that descends from Impressionism and is more warmly emotive. While Farley loses the shading of some of the more fragile songs, she is well-suited to the longer, more forceful pieces. I've heard many readings of "Early in the Morning" (one of Rorems most popular songs) by male and female vocalists, and its tale of wistful nostalgia is muted by Farley's direct approach. However, she nails "My Papa's Waltz," a fractured setting for a Roethke poem about a frightened child forced to dance with a drunken father. Here her acting skills come to the fore, and she perfectly captures the tipsy madness of the song. Rorem can be quite theatrical himself on occasion. She does almost as well with "See How they love me," a ballad with a regular pace that allows her assertive style to breathe.

At any rate it's great to hear these lovely songs in a recent (2000) recording, accompanied (rather emphatically, but perhaps he's matching his theatrical singer) by Rorem himself.

The similar Susan Graham album is more to my taste, but this is a more than competent bargain set.

delightful art songs.......2002-01-02

rorem's songs are amazing, and naxos has done well
to group them by poet. the complete settings of roethke
are particularly compelling and edgey.

carole farley's voice is lovely, but her phrasing
and willingness to push her voice seems
a big departure from the styling of art songs i've
heard by poulenc and somers.

this takes some getting used to- at least 3 or 4 complete
listen-throughs in my case. her voice is almost jazzy,
kind of like early recordings by holly cole.

anyway, rorem accompanies her on piano so obviously
this reading fits with his intent; his playing is also delightful.

Tracks:

Behold Man
Song of Democracy
The Pasture (Frostiana)
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening (Frostiana)
Allelujah
The Promise of Living (The Tender Land)
Simple Gifts
Make Our Garden Grow
The Testament Of Freedom: The God Who Gave Us Life
The Testament Of Freedom: We Have Counted The Cost
The Testament Of Freedom: We Fight Not For Glory
The Testament Of Freedom: I Shall Not Die Without A Hope

Customer Reviews:

Testament of Freedom.......2007-07-12

I sung the Testament in a men chorus in 1966.Most of the men were veterans as was I. I only wish the powers to be would include it in the July celebration in Washington D.C.

Wonderful Piece of Americana.......2007-01-27

I bought, and was very disappointed in, the New York Choral Society's recording of "Testament of Freedom" a couple of years ago. The diction was indisctinct, the voices were overpowered by the instruments, and the sound in general left a lot to be desired. I was delighted when I accidentally stumbled on this CD and found out that "Testament of Freedom" was included.

The Turtle Creek Chorale does an excellent job with the title piece. The vocal sound of the group is wonderfully rich, and the balance between the instruments and voices is about as good as you can get with a piece that calls for such a large instrumental ensemble. Plus, I prefer the men's choir arrangement of "Testament," largely because I remember singing it for Region Choir auditions over 10 years ago. My only complaint is that in some parts of "We Have Counted the Cost," it's hard to understand the words if you don't already know them; same thing with "We Fight Not For Glory." But these are minor quibbles.

"Testament" is a must-own CD for any American music lover, as it feautures the work of a criminally-underperformed composer. It's worth buying for the performance "Testament of Freedom" alone, although all the tracks are excellent, particularly the "Alleluia". 5 out of 5.

A Great Recording of Great Choral Works.......2006-01-02

I had to write this review because it is a crime that this wonderful CD has a ho-hum overall rating just because one of the two previous reviewers didn't bother to find out what it was before he ordered. Yes, Amazon had it mislabled (it's better now, but still misleading by putting Bernstein's name first), but I had no trouble figuring out that it was a men's ensemble. In fact, that's the primary reason I chose this CD.

The feature work on this CD is the "Testament of Freedom" by Randall Thompson. For this work, Mr. Thompson chose to set various writings of Thomas Jefferson to music. In doing so, he has helped preserve these sometimes forgotten texts and at the same time, demonstrated why he is one of America's best loved choral composers. Unfortunately, there are not many recordings of this work, and many of those you'll find are sung by mixed choirs. This work was intended for, and sounds best when sung by, a men's chorus. That alone sets this CD apart.

The biggest weakness of this recording is the balance between the wind ensemble and the chorus. In the forte sections, the chorus gets drowned out a bit. That's always a danger in master works, particularly when you pit voices against winds. However, I found this to be a minor flaw and have heard much worse examples.

I recommend this CD for all who love choral music and particularly for those who have yet to experience the music of Randall Thompson. It is also interesting to note that the words of Thomas Jefferson, written so long ago, still ring true in these trying times (especially the third and fourth passages).

(The following acquired from http://www.turtlecreek.org/music/linerpages/testament.htm)
Lyrics:

The Testament of Freedom
Text: Thomas Jefferson

The God who gave us life gave us liberty at the same time; the hand of force may destroy but cannot disjoin them.

---A Summary View of the Rights of British America (1774)

We have counted the cost of this contest, and find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery. Honor, justice, and humanity forbid us tamely to surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity have a right to receive them from us. We cannot endure the infamy and guilt of resigning succeeding generations to that wretchedness which inevitably awaits them if we basely entail heredity bondage upon them. Our cause is just. Our union perfect. Our internal resources are great...We gratefully acknowledge, as signal instances of the Divine favor towards us, that His Providence would not permit us to be called into this severe controversy until we were grown up to our present strength, and been previously exercised in warlike operation, and possessed of the means of defending ourselves. With hearts fortified with these animating reflections, we most solemnly, before God and the world, declare that, exerting the utmost energy of those powers which we have been compelled by our enemies to assume, we will, in defiance of every hazard, with unabating firmness and perseverance, employ for the preservation of our liberties; being with one mind resolved to die freemen rather than to live as slaves.

---Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms (1775)

We fight not for glory or for conquest. We exhibit to mankind the remarkable spectacle of a people attacked by unprovoked enemies, without any imputation or even suspicion of offense. They boast of their privilege and civilization, and yet proffer no milder conditions than servitude or death. In our native land, in defense of the freedom that is our birthright and which we ever enjoyed until the late violation of it; for the protection of our property, acquired by the honest industry of our forefathers and ourselves; against violence actually offered; we have taken up arms. We shall lay them down when hostilities shall cease on the part of the aggressors and all danger of their being renewed shall be removed, and not before.

---Declaration of Causes and Necessity of Taking up Arms (1775)

I shall not die without hope that light and liberty are on steady advance... And even should the cloud of barbarism and despotism again obscure the science and liberties of Europe, this country remains to preserve and restore light and liberty to them... The flames kindled on the 4th of July, 1776, have spread over too much of the globe to be extinguished by the feeble engines of despotism; on the contrary, they will consume these engines and all who work them.

---Letter to John Adams, Monticello (1821)

One of my favorite CD's.......2005-08-10

The actual title of this CD is Testament, and the principle performing group is the Dallas-based Turtle Creek Chorale. I am perplexed by Amazon's listing this magnificent recording under a generic descriptive title and then naming the accompanying Dallas Wind Symphony as the only "performer." Someone must have been asleep at the wheel.

Now to the recording itself -- I love choral music, and am especially drawn to male voices. I even enjoy hearing all-male college glee clubs singing their boisterous drinking songs. What a joy then to happen upon this recording which features strong, well trained voices in addition to exquisite pieces of music, some of which are among my favorites. The highlight of the CD for me is Randall Thompson's, "Testament of Freedom." The CD is worth its price just for this one 24-minute jewel. The rest is like tasty icing on a cake.

Disappointing.......2002-02-20

I was disappointed with this album. First, it did not notice that the Turtle Creek Chorale is an all male ensemble. ... Secondly, the quality of the recording is poor. The sound is muddy and lacks brightness. I had to turn my stereo way up just to hear it. The orchestra sounds great, but the mix of the voices is very poor. I definately do not recommend.

Youkali - Cabaret and Art Songs by Satie, Poulenc, and Weill

Average customer rating:

Je Ne T'Aime Pas
Superb musicianship!
An excellent recording by a fast-rising cabaret star

Youkali - Cabaret and Art Songs by Satie, Poulenc, and Weill

Manufacturer: Marquis Music
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music

Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Slow Fox
Naked Beauty
Habaneras, Milongas, Tangos
Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) Melodies (Songs)
Teresa Stratas - The Unknown Kurt Weill

ASIN: B0000067TU
Release Date: 2007-01-08

Tracks:

Chanson
La Diva De L'Empire
Elegie
Le Chapelier
Hotel
Violon
La Reine De Coeur
Lune D'Avril
Les Filles De Bordeaux
Le Roi D'Aquitaine
Je Ne T'Aime Pas
Youkali
Berlin Im Licht
Zu Potsdam Unter Den Eichen
Mon Manege A Moi
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien
One Life To Live

Customer Reviews:

Je Ne T'Aime Pas .......2006-03-02

if i had to pick a favorite song on this cd, that would be the one...i heard this one more than the others. " one life to live," is superb...she did all these songs in one take ! and the passion and romance is undeniable...i had never listened to cabaret before this. i became a fan.

Superb musicianship!.......2002-01-19

This CD is thoroughly enjoyable. O'Callaghan's passionate interpretations of these cabaret/parlour style songs are never less than convincing in their colourful delivery. My particular favorite's are two of the Weill numbers: "Je ne t'aime pas", which is so full of heart-wrenching angst, and "Youkali", because it is so rarely heard. The lesser known works of Poulenc and Satie are also each sparkling little treasures. The musicians all seem to "gel" together beautifully, and one can imagine that they had a really great time recording this disc together. Fantastic artistry!

An excellent recording by a fast-rising cabaret star.......1998-11-04

This first CD by the talented soprano Patricia O'Callaghan is truly excellent. Ms. O'Callaghan has the rare ability to mesmerize the listener through her intuitive and expressive vocal instrument. Her voice and vocal style are unique..she imitates no one. This is the sign of a true artist. The selections, ranging from Poulenc to Weill to a rarely heard gem by George Gershwin, are performed with meticulous attention to detail. Nuances, articulation of the text combined with superb vocal technique are very evident. If you haven't yet purchased Youkali, put it on your definite "to do" list tomorrow!!!

Average customer rating:

Don't fall for hype: entertaining the first time, clearly deserving 1-star afterward
New Music Can be Fun
Ades lives up to the hype ...

Thomas Adès: America: A Prophecy
Thomas Ades , and City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

General | Rap & Hip-Hop | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Ades: Asyla, These Premises Are Alarmed, etc. / Rattle, et al
Thomas Adès: Living Toys
Ades: Catch/Darknesse Visible/Still Sorrowing/Under Hamelin Hill/Five Eliot Landscapes/Traced OVerhead/Life Story
Adès: Piano Quintet; Schubert: "Trout Quintet"
Osvaldo Golijov: Ainadamar

ASIN: B0000C17Q8
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Tracks:

Part I - City Of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
Part II - City Of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
The Fayrfax - Hugh Webb
Movement I - Christopher Bowers-Broadbent
Movement II - Christopher Bowers-Broadbent
January Writ - Christopher Bowers-Broadbent
Oh Thou, Who Didst With Pitfall And With Gin, Op.3a - Hugh Webb
Iam Nocet Frigus Teneris - Robin Blaze
Nec Limpha Caret Alveus - Robin Blaze
Modo Frigescit Quidquid Est - Robin Blaze
Nutritur Ignis Osculo - Robin Blaze
Life Story, Op.8 - Claron McFadden
Cardiac Arrest - Thomas Ades
Les Baricades Misterieuses - Thomas Ades
Brahms, Op.21 - Christopher Maltman

Customer Reviews:

Don't fall for hype: entertaining the first time, clearly deserving 1-star afterward.......2006-10-29

In the 1990s, Thomas Ades benefitted from one of the largest hype machines the classical music world had ever seen. This young composer, born in 1971, was the great hope of British music, the next great master after Britten (somehow Benjamin, Harvey, and Birtwistle were pushed aside), and just the man to bring classical music to the masses. That's a tall order, and one's disappointment in Ades' music deepens all the more because of the glory one was lead to expect. Some of his earlier work, such as "Asyla" and "These Premises are Alarmed", showed him a decent orchestrator, but the man's work has many weaknesses. These continue in this 2004 EMI disc, collecting ten of his pieces.

"America: A Prophecy" (1999) is the largest work here in terms of length and proportions. It was written for mezzo-soprano, chorus, and orchestra for the New York Philharmonic's "Messages for the Millennium" project. Ades sought to contrast the comfort of New York at the time with the bloody way in which the Americas were conquered, so he paired Mayan prophecies from the Chilam Balam with conquistador songs of bravado. Lines like "They will come from the East" and "They will burn your cities" made the piece especially poignant after September 11, 2001. Though the work is entertaining on the first listen or two, especially due to the odd vibrato-less mezzo-soprano, it gets old real soon. There's no subtlety here, Ades either bangs it out with massive orchestral and choral bombast with no economy, like Sandstrom's awful "High Mass", or keeps it real quiet. At both extremes, we get generally the same sonorities of "Asyla", which were cute before but now just seem sappy. I first heard "America: A Prophecy" over a year ago, it's taken me this long to tame my annoyance enough to review it, it's that bad.

Several chamber works primarily for voice follow, setting ancient or medieval texts. These are all quite lightweight, some of them even lack opus numbers, making one wonder how much work the composer put into them. "January Writ", for chorus and organ, seems fairly easy and might prove a hit with regional choruses. The others, however, are dull. "Life Story", here in an arrangement for soprano and a chamber ensemble of string bass and two bass clarinets, is just as unimpressive as the first time it appeared on disc for soprano and piano: if all you do is have your soprano sing like Billy Holliday, it's not all that exciting.

One reason "Asyla" got so much attention was because of its third movement, titled "Ecstasio". In 4/4 time, it evoked the bass/hi-hat alteration of house music and imitated the trippy synths of trace with woodwinds. Trying to follow in that success, this disc contains Ades' chamber setting of a 1982 ska rock hit by Madness, "Cardiac Arrest". Unlike Olga Neuwirth's "Hommage a Klaus Nomi" which supplements the arrangement with a strong dramatic spectacle, Ades' arrangement of "Cardiac Arrest" just sounds gimmicky. So an ensemble can imitate a rock song, so what? This is followed by Ades' arrangement of a Couperin harpsichord piece, where yet again any insight is lacking.

If you're interested in contemporary music from Britain, look for anything by George Benjamin or Julian Anderson, two composers whose music has some substance behind the surface glitter. Considering how far Ades' career had moved along by the last works here, it's appalling that he still hasn't shown anything underivative and rigourous.

New Music Can be Fun.......2006-10-06

The two-year-old review by Mr. Hamilton describes the contents of this disk very amply and cogently. No two pieces resemble each other in any but technical matters of harmony. Ades is at times as spiritual as Arvo Part, at times as whimsical as Ives or Couperin, whose "Mysterious Barricades" he recomposes. These little pieces are, for me, more enjoyable than the larger compositions of Ades that I've heard. Perhaps there is room in contemporary music for a brilliant miniaturist. I rather hope so.

Ades lives up to the hype ..........2004-08-08

After hearing the recording of Asyla, which I consider one of the most exciting works on the modern classical scene, I have tended to give at least some initial respect to anything with the name Thomas Ades printed on it. Perhaps only this respect could persuade me to purchase a CD which juxtaposes Mayan texts, a sermon of John Donne, a poem by Omar Khayyam, and arrangements of a ska classic and a Rameau harpsichord piece. As it turns out, I was not wrong in my hopes that Ades would be able to pull off such a feat of eclecticism.

Of course, the main attraction here is the title work, America: A Prophecy. This big piece for orchestra, soloist, and chorus was written in 1999 as part of the New York Philharmonic's millenium commision. With lines like "They will come from the east ... they will burn all the land ... your cities will fall," the piece gained a rather terrifying new meaning after the September 11th attacks. It is possible that in light of this, the CD was slapped together quickly, blanks filled in by random unreleased Ades juvenilia. I doubt it, since the CD was released a full three years after 9/11; at any rate, Ades is such a diverse composer that an eclectic collection of his music actually makes perfect sense. His very unusual harmonies are audible in all the pieces, even the very early ones; thus the disc is musically unified, even if the themes are quite disparate.

America: A Prophecy is the second-newest work recorded here, and it falls easily into the same category as Asyla. The same utterly unique, very dense orchestrations (from a composer with ambivalence toward Brahms!) are all there. The alternation of this style with a ghostly, vibrato-less mezzo, however, is a new thing, and I find it quite effective -- though the odd singing style took a few listens to grow on me. The climax of the first movement is arresting in the same way Asyla's fourth movement is: the glorious diatonic chords manage to be at once genuinely triumphant but also wry and self-conscious; after all, this sort of outburst has been essentially illegal since the death of Gustav Mahler. I find the piece very effective.

Following this are a few choral works, all different but coming out of the same basic sound-world. The Fayrfax Carol is probably the most traditional, "archaic" sounding of them, a somewhat medieval sound complementing the passion-play-style lyrics. Fool's Rhymes contains some excellent percussive effects that just echo the work of Gallic moderns like Messiaen and Boulez. Ades, however, always remains closer to the diatonic scale. January Writ and O Thou, who didst with pitfall and with gin are just as effective as the preceeding works.

The Lover in Winter, a song-cycle for piano and countertenor, is the earliest work on the CD, but you wouldn't be able to tell for sure just by listening. It is perhaps less distinctive than the newer works, but not less well-crafted. I also hear some echoes of French modern works in the piano writing. As a Latinist, I was thrilled to find some good Latin lyrics also! I wish I could have written music like this when I was seventeen ...

Next up is a much talked-about Ades work, Life Story. It was released a few years ago in a piano-voice arrangement, and famously insructs the soprano to imitate the vocal style of jazz singer Billie Holiday. I've never heard the piano version, but I find it hard to imagine arranging the accompaniment for piano alone; here it is played by two bass clarinets and string bass. I'm not sure that I like the piece especially well; the accompaniment is somewhat Stravinskian and detached, and seems not to fit in with the jazzy vocalizations. Perhaps I would just expect something a little warmer and more sultry for a setting of this Tennessee Williams poem; the whole thing seems a trifle cold. Not bad by any means, just less effective than many other works from Ades.

Two wildly disparate transcriptions follow: the first is of a "ska rock classic" by Christopher Foreman and Cathal Smyth called Cardiac Arrest. It is an odd little piece, very energetic and well-orchestrated. A pleasant surprise for me. Second is Les Barricades misterieuses by Couperin, originally for harpsichord. Rather innocuous, this is also given a good -- and somehwat "mysterious" -- arrangement.

The last piece on the CD, "Brahms," is also the latest-written. It sets a German poem by eminent pianist Alfred Brendel and was written for his birthday. It would seem that neither Ades (judging by previous statements) nor Brendel are terribly enthusiastic about Brahms' work, but at least Ades seems to be more paying an homage to the late-romantic patriarch than anything; the music is certainly not a pastiche, but it does come dangerously close to quotation a couple times -- though I believe the themes are all original. It is recognizeable as the work of Thomas Ades, but his usual frenetic orchestrations, with their percussive effects and extreme contrasts between low and high instruments are replaced with a very Brahmsian low-lying and homogeneous density. The German poem is set extremely well, making for an absolutely wonderful album close, at once humorous and serious.

It is a rare thing for a young, modern-classical composer to rise to swift stardom and become a household name before the age of thirty-five, and surely it would be easy for Mr Ades to get lost in all the hype. Yes, many people will probably buy this recording simply because of the eerie timing and message of the title work, or because Ades is a "hip" composer. But I think there is far more to this recording, and to Thomas Ades, than mere trendiness. He is a remarkable young composer with amazing technique and bursting with (sometimes too many!) ideas. He may not have fully found his voice yet, but his music can hardly fail to be recognized as his own. America: A Prophecy rates five stars, and comes highly recommended.

Sure on This Shining Night: 20th-Century Romantic Songs of America

Average customer rating:

A Spectrum of Romance in American Musical Composition
a rare gem of a CD

Sure on This Shining Night: 20th-Century Romantic Songs of America

Manufacturer: Hyperion UK
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Operettas | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Classical | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Songs from the Labyrinth (Music by John Dowland)

ASIN: B000002ZYW
Release Date: 1997-04-10

Tracks:

The Children
The Year's At The Spring
When Stars Are In The Quiet Skies
Orpheus With His Lute
Rose Marie
Ives
Song To The Witch Of The Cloisters
Sure On This Shining Night
Sigh No More, Ladies
Come Away, Death
On Hearing 'The Last Rose Of Summer'
Echo
If I Could Tell You
The Collection
The Lord's Prayer
Nature, The Gentlest Mother
The Tiger
Never More Will The Wind
Little Elegy
One Alone
Do Not Go, My Love
To A Stranger
When I Have Sung My Songs
These, My Ophelia
An Old Song Re-sung
Ah! Sweet Mystery Of Life
June Night
Triolet

Customer Reviews:

A Spectrum of Romance in American Musical Composition.......2006-01-15

Often American music is thought to be jaunty, combative, or tragic in content, especially when it comes to songs/lieder for the classical repertoire. This engaging CD takes umbrage with that misconception and in presenting some twenty-eight songs by various composers clearly identifies the romantic side of American composers.

Here are songs well known and not so well known by familiar and not so familiar composers, and in the hands of tenor Robert White and pianist Samuel Sanders they all come across as important. Included are rarities by composers such as Amy Beach, Theodor Chanler, Isabelle Firestone, Eric Ewazen, Albert Hay Malotte, Marc Marder, John Musto and Richard Hageman, with popular composers Rudolf Friml and Sigmund Romberg, along with the greats: Ives, Schuman, Hindemith, Barber, Thomson, Korngold, Copland. Rorem, Bolcom, Corigliano, and Griffes. It is a huge spectrum of work and while some are less successful than other, they all are given respectful and loving renditions by White and Sanders. It is great fun to hear Firestone's famous 'If I could tell you' that opened the Voice of Firestone for so many years along side Samuel Barber's gorgeous 'Sure on this shining night' and Aaron Copland's settings of Emily Dickinson's poems.

This a rare treat for connoisseurs of lieder and for lovers of beautiful songs. Recommended. Grady Harp, January 06

a rare gem of a CD.......2002-07-08

Sure On This Shining Night is not my usual musical cup of tea...yet, it has become one of my favorite CDs. This collection of American Romantic songs has burrowed its way into my heart.

There is a universality to the longing involved in Romanticism. These songs capture this feeling perfectly. From the first song to the last, these songs do one thing perfectly: evoke an emotional response.

This is due in no short measure to the wonderful performance Robert White gives. Rather than being merely technically accurate, White actually gives each of these songs a life of their own. He achieves this effect by getting inside not only the words, but the feelings involved.

Some of the highlights for me are: the lovely and memorable "Rose Marie," Ewazen's setting of Blake's "The Tiger," a moving version of "The Lord's Prayer" and the haunting "Never More Will the Wind."

Samuel Sanders is a worthy musical companion to White. His playing is reciprocally lovely and introspective. The notes are extensive and informative as well.

Even though it may be an acquired taste in our postmodern age, I give Sure On This Shining Night my full recommendation.

Rap Music: